Terms of Reference

2012 Groundfish and Shrimp Abundance and Biomass Index Trends from the DFO Multidisciplinary Survey in the Northern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Regional Peer Review – Quebec Region

December 17, 2012
Mont-Joli, QC

Chairperson: Charley Cyr

Context

Since 1990, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has conducted summer research vessel surveys in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) divisions 4RS, 3Pn) following a standard protocol. The results of these surveys provide important information on abundance and distribution trends for most groundfish and northern shrimp species in the northern Gulf and are a crucial component for scientific stock assessments. Since stock assessments for each individual species are not performed each year, the DFO Science Branch has requested that the scientific survey abundance and distribution indices for the major groundfish species (in particular cod, Greenland halibut and redfish) be reviewed at a regional workshop in the fall after the survey has been conducted in order to inform the Fisheries and Aquaculture Management Branch of the need for a formal stock assessment later in the year if the indices diverge significantly from the forecasts provided during the last assessment.

Objectives

The objectives of the meeting are to review the abundance and biomass estimates for the primary groundfish and northern shrimp species and indicate their spatial distribution and determine their biological characteristics in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence (divisions 4RS, 3Pn). More specifically, the following variables will be examined for each of the 15 species targeted by the survey:

• catch rates
• spatial distribution
• size frequency distribution

These results will be put into perspective with the overall results of the historical series of surveys initiated in 1990, taking into account the equivalency factors used to convert the data of the CCGS Alfred Needler-URI tandem with the CCGS Teleost URI-Campelen tandem.

Expected Publications

• A Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat (CSAS) Research Document on the results from the 2012 survey in the norhtern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
• CSAS Proceedings summarizing discussions.

Participation

• DFO Science Branch